CVA

Adding uric acid to standard stroke clot busters reduces stroke disability
Giving stroke patients uric acid along with standard clot-busting medication within 4.5 hours of first symptoms appears safe and effective at limiting disability, according to late-breaking science presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014.

In a study of 421 acute stroke patients, nearly 40 percent treated with uric acid and clot busters were relatively free of disability at 90 days compared to 33 percent of patients treated with a placebo. Uric acid produced the greatest benefits for women and patients with high blood sugar and moderate stroke. MedicalXpress

Clot busters limit stroke damage despite age; stroke severity
Regardless of a patient's age, or severity of stroke, prompt treatment with a clot-busting drug limited stroke-related disability, according to late-breaking science presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014.

The clot busting drug, tissue plasminogen activator or tPA is the only approved U.S. FDA treatment for acute stroke caused by a blood clot. However, there is still debate regarding the time window in which it should be given and its use in older patients or those with a minor or severe stroke. MedicalXpress

Treating stroke with IV magnesium within an hour of symptoms fails to improve outcomes
In the first study of its kind, a consortium led by UCLA physicians found that giving stroke patients intravenous magnesium within an hour of symptom onset does not improve stroke outcomes, according to research presented today at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference.

However, the eight-year study found that, by working with paramedics in the field, intravenous medications can be given to stroke patients within the "golden hour," the window in which patients have the best chance to survive and avoid debilitating, long-term neurological damage. That finding is a "game changer," said study co-principal investigator Dr. Jeffrey Saver, director of the UCLA Stroke Center and professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. MedicalXpress

Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk From Hormone Therapy (CME/CE)
In an analysis of data from the California Teachers Study, women taking hormones had a 42% increased risk of stroke -- but that fell to a 30% greater risk if they exercised at least 3.5 hours per week, according to Sophia Wang, PhD, of the Beckman Research Institute at the City of Hope in Duarte, Calif., and colleagues. They reported their findings at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in San Diego. MedPage Today

Most people have access to stroke care, but few get recommended treatment
Four out of five people in the United States live within an hour's drive of a hospital equipped to treat acute stroke—yet very few get recommended treatment, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014.

Of the more than 370,000 Medicare stroke claims for 2011 that researchers examined:

• Only 4 percent received tPA, a drug that can reduce disability if given intravenously within three to four hours after the first stroke symptoms.
• Only 0.5 percent had endovascular therapy to reopen clogged arteries. MedicalXpress